Wednesday 20th, Night Pleasantries

Ooops, realised I never posted this last week...  This was Wednesday the 20th, Nelson picked me up from work and we trafficjammed the way towards the Ferrymead Bridge, then ducked around into McCormacks Bay.  Parked up, changed and got going up Glenstrae and into the wheezy singletrack.  Quite overgrown with grass and vines and blackberries and fennel, but clear enough to ride.  I thought it was only a little while since I rode down this (but it was back in July), and Nelson had only been up it a couple of weeks ago.  Still, a good honest climb which, once I'd had some asthma puff, I managed okay.  Cleaned all but the second lower hairpin, and dabbed once on one of the new bridgey bits, and once in the upper switchies, then walked the upper steps (as usual).  On up the road, flashies now needed, then up Longridge, Clearview, Ridgeview onto Upper Major and to Britten.  Up this without lights, as there was just enough glow from the spectacular sunset sky and a rather large moon looming in the east.  Climbed and Nelson jetted on ahead.  Met a runner and a couple on bikes with a dog, then headed around the original Britten line to the rock climber's stile and checked out some climbers on a tight-rope line strung above the cliffs between a couple of rocks.  Pretty dark tho, so could only see him with our lights.

Up the 'new' line into Mt Pleasant, climbing away to the top, and resting for a while up here.  Off down, swooped around the old line for the benefit of more trail, and then over the stile and down.  Pretty good flow for a start then overlooking Lyttelton I missed the trail briefly.  Back on, and Nelson's dropped me, so off I go, finding my handlebar light too bright reflecting off the tussocks, making the trail really hard to see.  Flowed around and about then down blasting towards the end of this bit.  Rolled down the 4wd bit then hung the right and got a taste of what was to come.  Dust.  Lots and lots of dust, and I was eating it.  Nelson was raising it ahead and I could do nothing but blindly follow into it.  Further on, past the ruins, it wasn't as bad, but every time the wind was directly in our faces, or at our backs, the dust would hang out and get in my eyes and lungs.  But everywhere else there was enough side wind to tidy it away.  Good run all the way around and down.  At gloomy gulch we spotted a light ahead, meaning we'd been catching him up(?), but then at flatter bit lower down Nelson stopped for a to rest his hands and back and feet.  I was feeling pretty good.  Off again and more dust, so I held back a bit, but had a pretty good run, just cruising bits, pumping bits and then boosting bits.  Screwed up the rocky climb, but then flowed out the lower newly opened up bits and rolled in through dust to the end.

Across the road and into the Captain.  I stuck close to Nelson's tail for a start, thereby being where the dust hadn't risen up yet.  In the gulch before the stupidbridge it was damper and very cool.  Then more dust and down into the main drags.  Not so bad through all the tricky rocks, all of which we cleaned nicely, and then the climby big got me, and the flow across the slop was awesome.  Dropped around the corner into the switchbacky section, spotting Nelson failing on the second right hander, then down around and cleaned that, then into the cabbage tree track, slick in the dust on the corners, and super boosty fast down the last stretches, across the creek and over the fence.  Down the steps, along the horse paddock and onto the road, catching a slipstream lift from a couple buses and then on round, taking turns and super fast slipstream cranking around through Redcliffs and into McCormacks back to the car.

Just about 19kms ridden, and 600m climbed (mine measured 596m, Nelson 604)